Caribbean: American Singer Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Barbadian Singer

LOS ANGELES, California, CMC – American pop singer Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend, the Barbados-born pop singing sensation, Rihanna, and the two singers were ordered to stay away from each other in a deal that keeps Brown out of prison.

Court officials said that Brown's plea to a felony charge will subject him to substantial scrutiny by probation officials, and the judge's order rules out any short-term prospects for reconciliation with his pop diva girlfriend as well.

Brown, 20, had faced charges of assaulting Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, in a dispute on a Hollywood, California, street in February. 

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, said, under the terms of the agreement, Brown will serve five years of probation and must serve about 1,400 hours in “labour-oriented service.”

In addition, Gibbons said Brown must also undergo a year-long domestic-violence counselling class.

“This is not an easy sentence. He must check in with a probation officer every three months.”

Initially, Brown had pleaded not guilty to felony counts of assault and making criminal threats in connection with the attack on Rihanna.

The guilty plea came before a preliminary hearing was scheduled to start on Monday. The hearing had been billed for weeks as a public face-off between the pair, with Rihanna set to testify against her one-time boyfriend.

Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the plea represented the singer taking responsibility for his actions during the confrontation on February 8.

After Brown left the courtroom, Rihanna was addressed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg, who explained that she had issued a stay-away order requiring both singers to stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards.

The judge also told Rihanna it is not a one-way order and that she, too, should not get any closer to Brown.

Rihanna said she understood the terms of the stay-away order and that after Brown's sentencing she might ask for its terms to be loosened.

Rihanna, 21, recorded one of 2007's most popular songs with "Umbrella" and has numerous other hits. Her looks have made her a cover girl for magazines, as well as a pitchwoman for Cover Girl cosmetics.

Brown will be formally sentenced on August 5.

"This is a kid who's never been in trouble before. He embraces this as a chance to get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get his life back on track,” Geragos said.

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